Chardon High students describe 'new normal' since shooting that killed three, injured three others (with videos)

Michael Allen Blair/Mblair@JournalRegister.com

From left; Chardon senior class officers Jill Allenby, Jessie Mysyk, Will Porter, and Joseph Bergeant II, Chardon Schools superintendent, bow their heads for a moment of reflection at the start of Friday's news conference at the Geauga County Public Library Administrative Center in Chardon Township.

Three students at Chardon High School say there is a "new normal" there one year after the shooting that claimed the lives of three students and left two others seriously wounded.

During a news conference Friday at the Geauga County Library Administrative Center, senior class officers Will Porter, Jessie Mysyk and Jill Allenby reflected on how the school and their lives have changed since Feb. 27, 2012.

The students who died were Demetrius Hewlin, Russell King Jr. and Daniel Parmertor.

Students seriously wounded were Nickolas Walczak and Joy Rickers. Another student, Nate Mueller, suffered a superficial wound to his ear.

"Obviously, it will never be normal again (at Chardon High School)," Porter said. "What's important is being together and supporting each other. We're all friends. We all love each other."

Mysyk described "a tangible sense of unity and togetherness" among students since the shooting.

"There is never a time when a student would feel alone at Chardon High School," she said. "We are a community. We are friends. That sense of family and togetherness is something positive we can pull out of the 27th."

Mysyk added that a community day of service planned for Wednesday, in which all Chardon High School students will participate, is an offshoot of that togetherness.

"It's unfortunate we have to commemorate anything like this. It's obviously not a best-case scenario," Mysyk said. "As class officers and students, we feel the best way to remember is to give back to everybody who has done so much for us."

Allenby said the student body's reaction to the shooting has made Chardon High School a better place.

"We don't have the normal kind of high school drama and cliques," Allenby said. "When you walk down the hall, everyone says 'Hello.' Even if you're having a bad day, you see someone with a smile."

Chardon Schools Superintendent Joseph Bergant II and Chardon High School Principal Andrew Fetchik both said they are opposed to any proposal to allow teachers and school staffers to carry guns during school hours.

"We're not going to put bars on our school building. We're not going to put an iron dome over it," Bergant said. "We want it to be safe. We have a sense of safety through our parents and our community. We will not be bringing (guns) into our schools."

At the beginning of the one-hour news conference, Bergant asked those in attendance to engage in what he called "a moment of reflection" for losses of the lives of Hewlin, King and Parmertor.

He asked for "hope and peace" for Walczak, Rickers and Mueller.

Bergant, who will retire in June, addressed the issue of school safety in the wake of the shootings in Chardon and at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

"How do you make schools safer?" Bergant said. "Establish clear safety protocols, lock the doors once the school day begins and be vigilant in efforts to keep children safe and make it comfortable for everyone to come forward when something doesn't seem right."

Bergant said Chardon schools have moved forward with school safety initiatives by "continuing to add surveillance and security equipment" and with the hiring of a school safety resource officer.

Fetchik said nary a day goes by when he isn't asked, "How are you doing?"

"I can assure you we are getting better," Fetchik said. "There is a lot of work to be done, but we have a strong and compassionate community supporting us."

Fetchik credited the high school's teachers, support staff and, especially, its students, with setting the tone for recovery after the shooting.

"The Class of 2012 and the current students are the greatest group I've ever worked with," Fetchik said.

"They've taken a tragedy and without any pushing or prodding said, 'This is not going to define us. We are going to be defined by our actions and keep moving forward,' " Fetchik added.

Biddle said counseling of students, school staffers and community members began on the day of the shooting and continues today.

"No one in this community was not touched by this violence," Biddle said.

"When people are traumatized, they don't just get over it."?

Deckard is chief financial officer at Fairmount Minerals. Jemison is a Geauga County Commissioner. They said the Chardon Healing Fund was started within 24 hours of the shooting. It serves as a conduit for donated funds meant to help victims of the shooting, their families and community members touched by the tragedy.

Donations to the fund thus far total $952,000, according to Deckard.

"It's been truly humbling, the response we've gotten," Deckard said.

King said a steering committee is in place to oversee the design and funding for a memorial to the victims of the school shooting. The committee's next meeting is scheduled for March 5.

"This will take some time. It's something that will be with us forever," King said.

Events tied to the one-year remembrance of the shooting include a commemorative concert at St. Mary Church in Chardon on Tuesday and a service day coordinated by high school students on Wednesday.

Also slated for Wednesday are a memorial walk and candlelight vigil on Chardon Square.